Thursday, March 31, 2016
A Falling Tree and Truck
It has been extremely windy
today like it was on Tuesday. It sounded nice while I laid in bed this morning, but there are consequences.
As of 5pm, about 15,000 customers were without power
in Eastern Massachusetts. My power went off for about one second around noon.
On Tuesday, a driver was killed when the wind blew a tree over onto the roof of his truck.
That was such a freak accident on a rural road in New Hampshire. What are the odds of being in the place at that moment?
It was a tragedy that makes you wonder.
5:28 pm edt
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Finding A Sitter
People really love their smart
phones. They become addicted to their devices and try to use them for so many aspects of their life.
There is an app for almost anything. I'm a little
skeptical about parents using one to find a babysitter. Not everyone has family and friends available. They find the
app to be very helpful.
I
just hope the vetting process and background checks are done well.
8:14 pm edt
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Stay In Hotels
Airbnb is looking into doing
business in Cuba. I can't imagine staying with a stranger or using their residence, especially in a foreign country. People
do it all the time. Airbnb is worth billions. Their business model is working very successfully.
I'm not a very trusting person, so this would never work
for me.
9:44 pm edt
Monday, March 28, 2016
Look Up
Some laws are passed to protect
people from themselves. Several states have tried to have a law about texting and walking.
People have been injured and killed over the years due to their lack of attention. It's
also the perfect way to become a crime victim.
I think a texting and walking law is a bit excessive. People need to be engaged with the
world around them while they walk the streets, but you can't force hem.
11:56 pm edt
Sunday, March 27, 2016
Meat Discussion
People make controversial
statements on Facebook and then get involved in long battles with others. One person made a comment about eating meat
on Easter.
Condemning meat is
always a hot-button topic, especially when it comes from a vegan. It's an argument that neither side can win.
Some people enjoy arguing about anything.
2:15 pm edt
Saturday, March 26, 2016
Betting On 21
It was only a matter of time
before states started to make their own laws for fantasy sports betting websites. Fan Duel and Draftkings are facing the fight
of their life to stay in business. Some states are trying to determine if their activities are indeed a form of gambling.
States are setting their own rules. I think there
should be some type of regulation by the government. They should even try to get a slice of the financial action.
I don't agree that 21 should be the minimum age
to play. This is just another example of the Nanny State. The age should be 18. Some members of the military would not
be allowed to play if they are under 21. That doesn't make any sense to me.
6:23 pm edt
Friday, March 25, 2016
Not Ready To Binge
I read a report that said 70%
of Americans engage in some type of binge television viewing. I think this figure is rather high, but I know many people who
spend hours at a time catching up on a program.
I have never binged any program. I can't even think of one that I would do it for. I never heard of some
that are mentioned by people on Facebook.
5:32 pm edt
Thursday, March 24, 2016
Sands of July
As I ran along the streets
of my hometown, I saw so much trash out there. Leaves from autumn were also mixed in with sand. There was so much of it.
How do you get rid of it? Some of this stuff will be around
in July. It will never be swept up.
11:31 pm edt
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
The Crazy Campaign
The presidential election
is still more than seven months away. The rhetoric has been very intense on both sides. It will only get worse after
the party conventions.
We
are watching history being made, but the process has been out of control. The candidates are not helping the situation.
7:37 pm edt
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
The Recycling Police
Most towns and cities have
mandatory recycling when it comes to trash pickup. People are encouraged to use their container to keep these items separate.
I don't think it's the job of municipal workers
to travel through neighborhoods and inspect trash bags for compliance. This seems very Draconian and a violation of privacy.
You will never get a 100% recycling rate.
6:18 pm edt
Monday, March 21, 2016
Didn't Picture It
I updated my profile photo
on Facebook. I never thought it would take as long as it did. I had four failed attempts. I'm not sure what I was doing wrong.
This should have been a simple thing to do. Other people
do it all the time. It became a big project.
2:47 pm edt
Sunday, March 20, 2016
Time For Stamps
I recently bought postage
stamps at a local convenience store. It saved me a trip to the post office. They should last for a long time because
I pay almost all of my bills on-line.
Fewer people are writing monthly checks. This is bad for the USPS. There are fewer stamps being bought
and less business mail being delivered. Their annual deficit continues to rise.
There will always be mail, but what will the USPS be like
in ten years?
11:18 am edt
Saturday, March 19, 2016
The Last Hours of Winter
We are seeing the final hours
of winter. Spring begins tomorrow, but it might snow. This doesn't happen very often, but it will melt quickly if we get it.
This winter has been very mild in terms of snow.
The weather people love storms because it makes them relevant.
They started talking about this a few days ago. What started off as a foot of the white stuff
has now been downgraded to less than three inches.
It doesn't matter. The weather people are still the lead news story and they love it.
7:14 pm edt
Friday, March 18, 2016
Alley Strike
A local bowling alley is closing
after fifty years in operation by the same family. It will be demolished and replaced by a medical building.
People are lamenting the loss and wish it could
remain. The owners are selling because of a decrease in business over the years.
Where were these people when they were needed? If they had patronized the business, it might
still be open.
Everyone
is nostalgic about the loss, but it was a bottom-line business decision. The owners could not keep going like this. They are
not a charity.
1:31 pm edt
Thursday, March 17, 2016
March Nonsense Again
Here we are again with March
Madness. I will never understand what all the hype is about. People who are not even basketball fans fill out a bracket for
the "Final 68" teams. Millions of staff hours will be lost in productivity as workers check on games.
Reports say that 70 million Americans will participate and
wager over $9 billion in office pools and other illegal formats. Legal betting only grabs $270 million of action.
It's too bad that the government can't grab a piece of this.
Every dollar counts.
3:38 pm edt
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Passing The ScreenTest
You never know what you don't
know about computers and smart phones. I never did a screen shot on my cell phone until yesterday. I never had the need and didn't
know how to do it.
As
it turns out, I had to look at the help menu to get it right. Who knew it was so easy? You can learn a lot when you look at
the owner's manual.
3:28 pm edt
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Uninformed Masses
I was watching a show where a
reporter asked questions to people on the street about the election. I could only watch it for about a minute. The answers
showed how uninformed people are these days. I didn't find it funny at all.
Some people are so out of it when it comes to the news. These are the ones who elect our
leaders, assuming they even vote.
So
many people no longer read newspapers or follow the news on television or radio. They get their information from
the Internet which is very scary.
12:53 pm edt
Monday, March 14, 2016
Cars Off Track
I saw a posting on Facebook
yesterday from a couple who were taking Amtrak from Florida to Boston. They showed pictures of the sleeper car. It looked
pretty nice. I made a comment about it being an interesting thing to do.
Earlier today, one of Amtrak's trains went off the tracks while on a trip from Los Angeles
to Chicago. I doubt if I will ever do a trip like this. The journey was scheduled for forty hours. That seems too long
to be on a train.
8:04 pm edt
Sunday, March 13, 2016
They Yell Too Much
This Presidential election
is so important for America's future. I enjoy following the process on television with the debates and town meetings. Some
of them have been out of control. The audience doesn't always help.
In a perfect world, people wouldn't yell out all sorts of nonsense. People think they are
so important. They disrupt the flow of the dialogue. Their input isn't useful.
9:35 pm edt
Saturday, March 12, 2016
One Less Hour
Before this day is over, people
need to turn their clocks one hour ahead because of Daylight Savings Time. People make a big deal about losing one hour of
sleep. The news devotes too much time to this non-issue.
Nobody will be complaining once the amount of daylight increases. We will lose it in
the morning, but it all works out eventually.
12:15 am est
Friday, March 11, 2016
Snapping Speeders
People drive too fast on highways
and on local streets. It's a problem that will never go away. Breaking the speed limit in thickly settled areas is an ongoing
issue.
Many locales
use speed indicators to warn drivers of their speed. One resident took it to the extreme when he took pictures of cars
exceeding the speed limit in his neighborhood. He spoke to the City Council and brought his 500 pictures which he took over
the course of nine days.
I admire
his involvement, but should private citizens be documenting cars driving over the speed limit? The police could issue speeding
tickets from this, but would they get thrown out in court?
3:35 pm est
Thursday, March 10, 2016
Sea The Ocean
There are definitive seas
and oceans around the world. I found it amusing that a news report would refer to Boston Harbor as a sea. The story involved
a fatal accident where a car went into the water.
Instead of referring to the harbor as the ocean, the writer decided to call it a sea.
This is as corny as Manchester-By-The Sea. For
most of their history, they were just Manchester.
3:18 pm est
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Their First Case
Leave it to lawyers to file
a lawsuit over almost anything. We are seeing former law students filing cases against their school because they never got
a job after graduating.
Is
that the fault of the school? Students must know that there is a glut of lawyers around the country and not enough jobs.When it
comes to law school it should be "buyer beware".
There are no guarantees out there for anyone.
12:25 pm est
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
On A Leash
A person on Facebook was complaining about being fined $50
for not having their dog on a leash at a public park. It generated a number of comments from both sides.
I believe dogs should be on a leash at all times in public
places. It's not fair when people are forced to deal with an unknown dog.
Everyone thinks their dog is wonderful and won't bite. You can never convince me after I got bit
years ago.
10:59 pm est
Monday, March 7, 2016
Changing Names
It's never a good idea to
try to rename something in honor of a person who recently passed away.
A nearby community has an on-line petition to rename their high school for a former educator.
Eventually, someone will complain that another person
was looked over in the process.
Years ago, my city built four new schools. The naming process became so controversial that the school committee went with
generic names, rather than try to recognize four individuals who had an impact on the city.
I believe that a high school should be named after its locale.
12:18 pm est
Sunday, March 6, 2016
Victims Don't Help
My local health club posted
a notice at the front desk about car break-ins in the parking lot. Some people don't lock their cars or leave things exposed.
I can't believe the things that people leave out in the open. It's an invitation to thieves.
The parking lot should be safe and secured, but why do people leave stuff in their cars?
10:13 pm est
Saturday, March 5, 2016
Very Wordy
Politicians love to talk about
reforming the federal tax laws. It's an easy way to pander to voters. There is no doubt that the tax code is very complex.
The Internal Revenue Code, as published by Commerce
Clearing House, is 5,368 pages and contains 3.8 million words. We should not forget the Rules & Regulations which
comprise a six volume set of 13,380 pages.
Every item in the tax code addresses an issue. Reforming it will be quite a task.
8:13 pm est
Friday, March 4, 2016
Electronic Nonsense
The Boston Globe recently
had a public relations nightmare with a problem of home delivery of their newspaper.
I switched to the e-paper format two years ago. Everything had been going well until they
updated their software. Some of the papers don't download or take forever. I finally sent an email to their help desk today.
They can't afford to alienate their customers with
a software problem. I'm sure others have the same problem.
5:45 pm est
Thursday, March 3, 2016
One Thing I'll Never Eat
I never eat hot-dogs. My last
one was in 2013 at a baseball game at Fenway Park. The ones in convenience stores don't look very appetizing.
I'm not sure why Burger King decided to start selling
them. I read a very poor review of them today. They should stick with their current menu. I can't imagine buying one there.
7:19 pm est
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Scott Back In Town
Astronaut Scott Kelly is back
home after spending the last 340 days on the International Space Station. His time in space will be very valuable in studying
the effects of long flights, especially the eventual one to Mars.
His twin brother Mark is a former astronaut who spent time on the space station. They will both
go through extensive medical tests.
The effects of long flights need further study before anyone goes to Mars.
5:40 pm est
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Tuesday Is Super
It's almost 9pm on Super Tuesday.
The results are coming in. How will it end up? Will everyone
still be in the race after tomorrow?
History is being written at this moment.
8:46 pm est